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Posted: Jun/08/2006 10:14 PM PST
Here it is the new invader, did not see them last year. I first saw them in my daughters store bought red mulch, now... near my rose bush!  WHAT IS IT!?? DO I WANT IT GONE?? Will they eat my baby Preying Mantis'? any input please!! I searched online and in my books came up void !  Thanks a BUNCH! Kale Attachments:  |
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Posted: Jun/09/2006 2:43 AM PST
It looks like an imature boxelder bug? As the name indicates they live on boxelders. Thru the course of the summer they will mature to be full blown true bugs- see http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/L/I-HM-LTRI-AD.0 03.html . They actually only live and feed on female box elders. being tru bugs they are sucking insects. They will not eat your mantisesThe really nasty thing about them is that in the fall they congregate together into a seething mass of red bugs at the base of the tree then ooze into your home thru some crack or crevice where they over winter. people often find the seething mass in an attic or basement..... pretty disgusting. The best way to rid yourself of them is to grow only male box elders (which are actually maples .... genus Acer). They usually are susceptable to a detergent spray. Now if you have these things and don't have any boxelders nearby, they may be a close cousin called milkweeed.... bugs if you have milkweed around. use the detergent spray on them also. |
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Posted: Jun/09/2006 4:14 AM PST
Excellent Info! Hummm..in my last home I had those boxelders/milkweed bugs on our house, I researched and thought them to be milkweed. Now that I fast foward my brain I do have MILKWEED... for the butterflies...We have about 7! Just pulled (sorta) 2 from my daughters garden. Havent seen those bugs here for about 4yrs now.I would have put 2 and 2 together had I not trained my brain to think they were boxelder *LOL Ill research them and see what exactly is thier difference .. i think it was just basically thier markings are slightly different ...it has been 6 years since I read up on them because An Elder told me they were Boxelders so boxelders it was... what do I know *LOL Thanks again I cant wait to tell my daughter it is her fault we have these bugs and that they are milkweed !*LOL she will be thrilled after all these years.She really liked these bugs for some reason.... cousins... A definete smile from her pretty face! Thank YOU! Kale 
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Posted: Jun/09/2006 10:31 AM PST
he is on what seems to be a maple(box elder) seed in the pick... so I assumed he was a BE Bug.... must be another kinda maple. |
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Posted: Jun/09/2006 3:12 PM PST
We have Maples here for sure those copter are everywhere I think 80percent that hit anything but cement germinate! GRRRRRR... Ill go with Boxelder Thank YOU!! My daughter is researching life cycle etc..as an assignment  Kale
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Posted: Jun/10/2006 6:07 AM PST
I have these buggers everywhere. The babies are tiny red dots basically. They love to winter over in my mulched beds. At least that's where I find the babies. I usually use Bug B Gone at least once a year...but then you will kill your preying mantis's. We have literally millions of these things. It grosses people out.  Harmless to your garden, just annoying |
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Posted: Jun/10/2006 8:33 AM PST
Thank you for your reply,it made me smile and remember when I bought and tried Bugs B Gone in 2001. I brought my store bought peppers in for over wintering and and they got aphids galore! Let me tell you I sprayed and sprayed and those aphids didnt go anywhere,I thought I was going to die from the vapors! I thought wow this stuff is worse then tileX shower cleaner from the 90's *lol. I havent heard about bugs b gone in years, didnt know it was still made and sold. I have quit chemicals since that winter.May still have the bottle for memories As far as Mantis, your right, wouldnt want to hurt them Kale
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